ADRC committee outlines staged options to reduce Nutrition Program costs

ADRC staff presented a Nutrition Program budget update Aug. 24 and the committee discussed a sequence of steps to reduce costs if required. Heidi Chavez, Beth Hoerchler, and Mya Olkowski outlined a prioritized plan: (1) assess current Home Delivered Meal (HDM) clients but make no cuts to existing recipients; assess new applicants as low/moderate/high need and deny meals to low-need applicants; contact Vilas County residents and direct them to Vilas County ADRC or request Vilas pay full meal cost; (2) reduce Rhinelander, Woodruff, and Three Lakes dining sites to three days per week and offer frozen meals to HDM clients on the other two days; (3) rearrange HDM routes and possibly reduce served areas in Oneida County; (4) increase the client contribution price (last increased Nov. 2025); and (5) start a waiting list for new HDM clients if necessary.

Committee members debated which items to implement immediately and which to reserve as contingency; staff said the first two steps will be executed right away and the remainder only if necessary. Ms. Heidi Chavez will report the committee preferences to the Human Service Committee and then to the Executive Committee. The committee did not adopt a formal cut at this meeting but set a clear sequence of actions to meet budget targets.